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THE COLLEGE OF ASHRIDGE.

EDMUND, SON OF RICHARD, EARL OF CORNWALL, FOUNDER OF THE

COLLEGE OF ASHRIDGE.

(From a status by Westmacott, in one of the niches of the grand staircase.) II.

WHEN John, the seventh Earl of Bridgwater, became the possessor of the College of Ashridge, that edifice was scarcely more than a heap of ruins. The duke, his predecessor, had collected materials for rebuilding it; but no steps had been actually taken in the undertaking; so that of this ancient and noble pile (with the exception of the two lodges and some inferior offices) no room retaining a roof remained to the new owner. The present noble and commanding edifice, with the more attractive portions of the surrounding scenery, are therefore due to the skill and taste of this nobleman. The present mansion and estates are situated partly in the county of Buckingham, partly in that of Hertford, about three miles distant from Berkhampsted, five from Hemelhempsted, and thirty from London. Dr Todd describes the approach to the mansion by way of Waterend, as particularly beautiful, the little village church of Nettleden beneath, appearing as if placed by art to increase the beauty of the landscape; whilst the bold rising ground in the distance forms a pleasing contrast with the nearer and more humble features of nature. The road is here carried by an arch across a deep ravine, which forms a communication from Gaddesden and other neighbouring villages with Berkhampsted. The prospect now widens, and discloses amidst the thick foliage of the distant trees the oattlements of the great tower of the mansion and the lofty spire of its chapel. From this point the road gradually descends to a lodge, the present southern boundary of the park; winding along a valley embellished with stately forest trees and noble thorns, whose gnarled and wrinkled

limbs sufficiently bespeak their antiquity. In glades of varied and picturesque beauty, the browsing herds of deer add to the charm of the magnificent forest scenery which this valley presents; but after about a mile's drive the traveller commences a gentle ascent through a grove of lofty beech trees, until the north front of the mansion opens on his view. This is bounded on the east by a line of majestic lime trees, and on the west by an equally fine line of stately elms; and includes from the eastern to the western tower a length of above a thousand feet; presenting a combination and variety of towers and battlements, among which rises pre-eminently, to the height of one hundred and forty-two feet, the spire of the chapel. The character of the building is that of a battlemented mansion, in which are retained a few traces of the earlier or castellated modes of security, united with ornaments of a more delicate con

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struction.

The porch is formed by a projecting arch with bold mouldings, and octagonal towers at each angle, the front decorated with foliated spandrils, and open battlements, with shields, rosettes, and portcullises. Above the porch rises a double window, twenty-one feet high, with an interior window at three feet distance, filled with plate glass, the exterior being stained glass. Within the porch are folding oak doors, with a wicket for use during inclement weather; and immediately opening to the hall of audience are oak doors, having the upper pannels filled with plate glass.

The rooms and galleries of the mansion retain the Gothic character. The entrance hall has a very rich oaken roof of this description, the corbels displaying the arms of Lord Chancellor Ellesmere, and his descendants down to the present Earl of Bridgwater. On the right hand of the entrance to this hall is a brass plate recording the day on which the foundation stone of the building was laid by the Countess of Bridgwater, namely, the 25th of October, 1808.

The grand staircase occupies a space of thirty-eignt feet square, and ninety-five feet high. The steps ascend in double flights guarded by an elegant railing to a gallery leading to the bedrooms. The walls of the staircase are of stone, decorated with niches, statues, corbels, and canopies; while brackets support an upper gallery, directly under twelve large windows, lighting the whole space below. The ceiling is richly adorned, and in the centre is a wind-dial. The grandeur of this scene is represented as recalling to mind the stately architecture of which Spenser wrote: High lifted up were many lofty towers, And goodly galleries far overlaid,

Full of fair windows and delightful bowers, And on the top a dial told the timely hours. After viewing this magnificent staircase, the visitor, proceeding in a direct line from the entrance, arrives at the ante-room, from which doors on the right and left open on the principal apartments. Of these the drawing-room is the most splendid, being of majestic size and height, and hung with the richest crimson damask of British manufacture. The ceiling and coved cornice are partially gilt; the furniture and decorations are of the richest description, and the plate-glass windows open on a southern terrace, and present a charming prospect.

The library, lighted from the east by five large casements, and opening to an arcade, richly groined, is also a noble apartment. The furniture is of ebony and crimson damask, the bookcases being of ebony and brass. Several fine portraits decorate this apartment. Adjoining the library are a billiard-room and ante-rooms, which form a communication with the eastern wing.

The dining-room corresponds in size, and in its furniture of oak, crimson damask, and gold mouldings, with the drawing-room. The tables and sideboards are of solid rosewood, exquisitely carved. From the middle of the dining-room to the middle of the drawing-room

was situated the original hall of the college, the crypt of which still exists underneath. The west end of the dining-room is the precise spot of the old buttery. Here a plate-glass door opens into a conservatory, a hundred feet long, and thirty wide.

The eastern wing of the edifice is appropriated to the private apartments of the Earl and Countess of Bridgwater, and from these a short descent leads to the greenhouse and orangery, covering a space of one hundred and thirty feet in length by thirty feet in breadth. The glass roof is supported by iron tracery, and is divided like the nave and side aisles of a church.

On the north side of the dining-room a door opens to a corridor, leading through a long line of arches, under a decorated Gothic ceiling, and forming the passage to the chapel. At the end of this corridor are two high pointed Gothic oaken doors, curiously carved, said to have belonged to the ancient college. Passing through these into a richly-groined lobby, and turning to the left, the ante-chapel is entered through an arch under the organ. The chapel has been considered Wyatt's masterpiece, exhibiting a perfect model of its kind. The highly-wrought Gothic ceiling, the windows filled with stained glass, and casting a rich and subdued light; the perforated oak screen, which divides it from the ante-chapel; the elaborately-carved altar-piece, with its Gothic brass rails; all contribute to strike the beholder with admiration. From the altar, the view of the chapel is equally striking. The pulpit and readingdesk are opposite each other, and somewhat raised above the highest seats which are in the stalls on each side. These stalls are terminated by two richly-carved canopies at the north end, which form the seats of the Earl and Countess of Bridgwater, and beneath which are the servants' seats. The organ is placed over the entrance into the ante-chapel, and is visible through a beautifully-proportioned Gothic arch over the screen. In this situation it does not disturb the beautiful arrangement of the interior of the edifice; but being ornamented in the same style of architecture as the building, contributes much to the richness of the general effect. In this chapel the first sermon was preached, November, 1817, by Dr. Todd, the Earl's chaplain, from whose richly-illustrated description of the College of Ashridge, we have gathered our brief account.

On the left hand of the hall of entrance is a passage leading to the domestic offices. The still room, housekeeper's room, steward's room, storerooms, &c., open from this passage, as does the evidence room, fitted with oak cases and iron safes, and rendered, as far as possible, fire-proof, as a security for the important documents it contains. Another passage, running north and south, leads to the spacious kitchen, to an octagonal game larder, with double roof, and ventilated on all sides, to the meat larder, scullery, dairy, &c. On the west side is a range of buildings, terminated by two high towers, one being the laundry, the other the brewery. To the westward of these towers are the weighing engines, watchmen's room, and the apartments of coachmen, grooms, &c.; connected with which, round a spacious court, are granaries, smiths' shops, &c. The stable-yard is entered by a fine covered gateway, from which an open gate, facing eastward, leads to the timber yard and workmen's shops. At the back of the stable court are the dog kennel, cow yard, gardener's yard, &c. The basement story of the house is occupied by servants' apartments, capacious cellars, and the ancient crypt already mentioned. From the old college hall and buttery above, a staircase descended to this crypt, which is built of stone, and has a range of octagonal pillars down the centre, from which the groins diverge, descending from a line in the centre, and converging at answerable points on the external walls. Recesses have been made in these walls to answer the purposes of wine-bins.

The bed-chambers of this noble mansion fully corre

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spond in extent and magnificence with the rest of the apartments, and command delightful views of the surrounding country. A splendid view is obtained from the leads of the centre tower. Directly to the south are seen the Surrey hills, at a distance of forty miles; westward lie Windsor Forest and the wooded mounds of Buckinghamshire. Here also are visible the Chiltern Hills, Crawley Wood, the hills of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, with a distant view into Warwickshire.

Descending to the foot of the eastern tower, the visitor reaches a gravel walk, which conducts round the garden. The beautiful limes form a gently undulating line to the south, until we arrive at an ash tree of extraordinary age and dimensions. The walk then inclines towards the left, and from a dell, has a branch path leading to a circular rosary, in the centre of which is a fountain of plain but elegant design, and also to a subterraneous passage, of which the western end opens into large masses of rock, intermixed with flowers and shrubs. In the interstices of the rock-work is a small pool of water, abounding with gold and silver fish. The primary walk continuing northward, by an antiquated flint wall, through a flower-garden with a stove-house for exotic plants, leads to the Conventual Barn, with its encircled dormer windows and centre turret. This barn now forms an arcade open to the south. The walk has now reached a square, divided into parterres of flowers, and ornamented by a Gothic cross in the centre. From the arcade a winding covered way leads by the dairy buildings to the western side of the chapel, and a parallel straight walk from the parterre to the south end of the chapel. This passes through the Monk's Garden, an oblong square with high box hedges, and supposed to have been the entrance to the old Conventual Church.

The mansion is built externally with stone from the quarry of the Earl of Bridgwater, at Totternhoe, in Bedfordshire, about seven miles from Ashridge. It is of a soft chalky nature, but its durability on a flat surface had been sufficiently proved in the former college of Ashridge. The copings of the battlements of the modern mansion, and such carved and projecting parts as would be most liable to injury, were, however, executed in Portland stone. A considerable portion of the house was nearly ready for habitation, when an accident occasioned the instant death of the architect: the remaining parts were most ably completed by his nephew, Mr. Jeffry Wyatt, who also designed some important features of the mansion and chapel.

Ashridge (says Dr. Todd) cannot fail to gratify the inquisitive and liberal mind, recalling as it does the devotion of our ancient nobility. In no spot in the kingdom have and austerity of the cloister, as well as the generous virtues tion, than this. It had been for some years past somewhat more beneficial changes been made, within modern recollecneglected. After it came into the hands of its present pos sessor [the late earl], churches in the neighbourhood of this ancient place, several of which were under the jurisdiction or in the patronage of the college, have been repaired and beautified, or wholly rebuilt; new roads of communication have been opened; neatness has become the character of the peasant's cottage; and villages, which before presented a picture of want and misery, now offer that of cleanliness and comfort. The activity of benevolence has here also been most conspicuously displayed in adopting the true mode of relieving poverty, by encouraging industry. Employment has been readily found for all persons of good character, who have presented themselves from the neighbouring villages; and at the time of writing this description, it came to the knowledge of the compiler, that the number of those to whom the Earl of Bridgwater was paying weekly wages, was upwards of eight hundred. Thus, while the face of this part of the country has been embellished, the condition of its inhabitants also has been meliorated, and their morals (we may hope) have been improved. It is by such means that the mansions of the great and wealthy may be always made to constitute at the same time the advantage, and the ornament of the nation.

THE KITCHEN GARDEN.

VIII.

AUGUST.

Countless is vegetation's verdant brood,
As are the stars that stud yon cope of heaven.
To marshal all her tribes, in order'd file,
Generic, or specific, might demand

His science, wondrous Swede, whose ample mind,
Like ancient Tadmor's philosophic king,
Stretched from the hyssop, creeping on the wall,
To Lebanon's proudest cedars. Skill like this,
Which spans a copious third of Nature's realm,
Our art requires not.-MASON's English Garden.

AUGUST, which is the busiest month of the year to the
farmer, does not bring many new employments to the
gardener; but chiefly a repetition of those of former
months. The sowing of winter spinach is, however, one
of the regular employments of the first and second week
in August, and this affords us an opportunity of noticing
the history and cultivation of this vegetable. The bota-
nical name of this plant (Spinacea) is supposed to be
derived from spina, a thorn, on account of the prickly
nature of the seed of one variety. The native country
of the spinach and the exact time of its introduction here
are uncertain; but it was cultivated in England before the
year 1568.
The earliest notice of the spinach is found
in the works of the Arabian physicians, and hence the
west of Asia has been assigned as its native country.
The first European country in which it was known ap-
pears to have been Spain, for it is spoken of by old
writers as a Spanish plant, and was also so called by
the Moors. Under the name of spinargium or spina-
chium, it was, in 1351, included in a list of the different
vegetables used by monks on fast days.

dry, it can be trodden down evenly, and afterwards
raked over.
The drill mode is convenient in sowing
between other crops, such as beans, peas, or cabbages;
and if the plants are properly weeded and thinned, they
grow very large, and are more conveniently gathered
than when sown broadcast.

The young plants generally make their appearance in about a fortnight from the time they are committed to the earth, and their after-culture is very simple. When they have three or four leaves an inch broad, they are thinned out to three inches apart, and cleared from weeds. A second thinning and hoeing will probably be required a few weeks later.

There is a kind of wild spinach, called also Goosefoot, English Mercury, or Good King Harry, which grows freely on loamy soils in various parts of England, and which in Lincolnshire is rather extensively cultivated in preference to common spinach. This plan although a native one, does not accommodate itself so well to changes of situation as the varieties usually cultivated. On this subject it has been well remarked: "The superior docility of a plant which has been long under cultivation, and which has travelled or borne changes of soil and climate in a growing state, is very apparent to those who attempt to rear wild plants in situations where they are not indigenous. This fact is so important a feature in the natural history of plants, that it is not, perhaps, sufficiently pointed out or explained in books treating on these subjects. It is a very natural result, which on consideration should not excite surprise, that a wild plant, which has been from time immemorial produced on the same spot, and has there accommodated itself solely to the circumstances of that spot, should refuse to grow in any other situation where the circumstances are not precisely similar. It is upon this principle that the mountain berry will not flourish upon the champaign country, and that the sweetest flowers of the woodland refuse their odour to the parterre." But this fact, if little noticed, is interesting as being a principal cause of the variety which forms so great a beauty, and a charm in the works of Him

Spinach is a hardy annual, succeeding well in any common garden soil, but prospering best where the ground is rich and well manured. The leaves, which in one variety are roundish, and in another triangular, grow in clusters; from the centre of the plant rises an upright thick hollow stalk, two feet or more in height, and bearing flowers of a greenish tinge. This plant is remarkable as being one of those called diacious, where the different parts of fructification are produced on separate plants. There are two varieties of spinach in cultivation, the first being the common round-leaved, smooth-seeded spinach, with thick juicy leaves; this is preferred for spring culture: the second the triangular-party first touched at the shores of New Zealand. leaved, prickly-seeded spinach, which is more hardy, and therefore better adapted for winter use. The seeds of both sorts would naturally ripen in July and August; but it is found more advantageous to sow the crop at different seasons, and thus ensure a supply for both winter and summer. Thus the round-leaved sort is usually sown in January, and a succession of sowings kept up till the end of July, ensuring a supply of this vegetable throughout the summer. The rough-leaved sort is then sown in August for the winter crop; and a second sowing is generally made about the beginning of September.

Who mark'd the climates, varied every zone,
Dispensing all His blessings for the best,
In order and in beauty.

Of the plants now under notice, the Tetragonia or New Zealand spinach (Tetragonia expansa) is not the least worthy of description. This is a variety which first. became known to botanists when Captain Cook and his

Spinach loves an open situation, out of the shade and weakening influence of spreading trees. If planted in a close or shady place it comes up too rapidly and runs to seed before the ordinary time. For the winter culture of this plant, M'Phail directs that in the first or second week in August a piece of good rich deep ground be got in readiness, by manuring if necessary, and by digging it deeply. When the ground is ready, if it be a light soil, which is best for spinach, it is to be trodden with the feet all over, and shallow drills drawn, two feet apart. The seeds of the prickly spinach are then scattered in the drills, and covered two inches deep, the ground being made smooth with the rake. The seed may also be sown broad-cast in four-feet beds, with alleys between them; it is then scattered all over the surface moderately thin; and if the land is light and

It

was found growing wild there in bushy and sandy places
in great abundance, and although the natives appeared to
make no use of it, yet the naturalists accompanying the
expedition considered, from its general appearance and
character, that it was of the same nature as the Cheno-
podium or Goose-foot of our own country, and recom-
mended that it should be made use of as a vegetable.
It was accordingly served to the sailors, boiled every
day at breakfast and dinner, and found to be wholesome
and agreeable. In 1772, it was introduced here by Sir
Joseph Banks, and was at first treated as a greenhouse
plant; but it is now found to grow in the open air as
freely as the kidney-bean or nasturtium, and is classed
among our half-hardy plants. The New Zealand
spinach is in this climate an annual plant.
It has nu-
merous branches, round, succulent, pale green, and
inclining towards the earth, but elevating their termina-
tions. The leaves are fleshy, somewhat triangular,
growing alternately at small distances from each other,
and being about three or four inches long. They are
dark-green above, but paler on the under surface, where
their veinings are very conspicuous. The flowers are
small and of a yellowish green colour. The fruit when
ripe has a dry pericarp, resembling the cone of Arbor
vitæ, with four or five horny processes, inclosing the
seed. The seed is sown in this state without being
separated from its pericarp. The usual mode of opera-
tion with a crop of this variety, is to sow in pots at the

latter end of March, which are placed in a melon frame. The seedlings are pricked out singly into pots, and kept under a frame without bottom heat until the third week in May, or until there is no further danger of frosts. A bed must then be prepared for the reception of the plants, by forming a trench two feet wide, and one foot deep, to be filled with the rich soil from an old cucumber bed, finished with a little garden mould at the top. The plants may then be set out three feet apart, and in five or six weeks their branches will have grown sufficiently to allow the gathering of leaves for use. If watered freely, this kind of spinach increases so rapidly that a bed with about twenty plants is sufficient for the supply of a large family. The leaves become very succulent in hot weather, and are thus in their greatest perfection when common spinach is too apt to run to seed. Mr. Anderson, who was one of the earliest cultivators of this plant, had a sufficient supply of spinach for the table every other day from the middle of June, the produce of only nine plants. New Zealand Spinach is admired by some persons as having a milder flavour than the common sort; others, while they admit the great productiveness of the plant, consider its taste insipid. This is a fault which, in our opinion, applies to all varieties of spinach. The vegetable is undoubtedly wholesome and cooling, and is often allowed to invalids when other vegetables are forbidden; but it is nearly tasteless, and possesses very little nutriment. The succulent nature of the leaves makes it necessary to boil them without water, or with only what adheres to them after washing them. In the time of Queen Elizabeth, and also in the reign of Charles the First, the young leaves of the common spinach were eaten raw as a salad.

An important operation in the early part of August is the sowing of the next summer's stock of cabbage. Of the history of this useful vegetable we gave a sketch in the notes for the month of February last; therefore it only remains to speak of the treatment of the crop as it respects the spring and summer supply, for which provision has now to be made. The soil for the seed-bed should be moist, mouldy, and not rich; but the plants may be afterwards removed to a moderately rich clayey loam, which is to be dug two spades deep, and well broken up. Stable manure is generally employed on the ground; but it has been found that broccoli is particularly benefited where the situation of the cultivator allows of the application of a mixed manure, composed of the above with road-rakings and sea-weed; or where this is not attainable, a mixture of tree-leaves with the cleanings of old ditches, and a moderate proportion of ordinary manure. A free and open situation is always needed for cabbages, especially for savoys, which are otherwise soon infested with caterpillars, and grow up weak and spindling. The August sowing is best performed during the first and second week of the month, because if earlier, the plants are apt to run up in the ensuing spring, and if later, they do not attain sufficient strength before the cold weather sets in. The Early York, Sugar-loaf, Fulham, or any other early sort, may be sown for the main summer supply. Each sort should be sown separately, broadcast, and raked in evenly and lightly, about a quarter of an inch deep. If the weather is very dry, hot, and sunny at the time of sowing, the bed may be advantageously shaded with a garden mat, or covered with fern leaves, and watered two or three times a week. When the seedlings are of about a month's growth, they are usually pricked out in rows four or five inches asunder each way, and shaded and watered till completely established. The other sowings of this month are of onions to come in at the end of March, radish for autumnal use, lettuce for the autumn supply, some of which are to be transplanted to stand the winter, and cauliflower, which, if not sown till the last week in August, and the seedlings not trans

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planted till the middle or end of November, has been found to thrive without any other protection than that afforded by a wall having a south aspect. "In such a border, and without any covering, young cauliflower plants have uniformly stood well for many successive winters, and have always proved better and sounder plants for spring planting than such as have had additional shelter. Cauliflower plants, it is probable, are often killed with too much attention. Seedlings raised in autumn seem to be very tenacious of life.”

This will complete the sowings for August; but there will be much to do in a large garden in transplanting broccoli, brussels sprouts, and borecole at the commencement, and also at the close of the month; also placing out cabbage and savoys for use in November and December. The savoy is one of the chief winter vegetables, for instead of being injured by frost, it is generally rendered more sweet and tender thereby. The cultivation is the same as for the other kinds of cabbage. Once or twice during August celery is transplanted into trenches for blanching; a full crop of endive is also transplanted in the second and fourth week. This is a good time to plant slips of lavender, rue, sage, hyssop, and majoram. The stems of artichokes are to be cut down as the fruit is taken, and suckers removed from the plants, if it be wished to obtain very large heads. The earthing up of celery plants in dry weather, two or three times during the month, and the regular expulsion of weeds and litter, and the gathering in of seed capsules or pods as they ripen, close the operations in the kitchen garden for the month of August. In attending to this last operation, the lover of a garden, whether a flower, fruit, or kitchen garden, will not collect his stores year after year, without being struck with the wonderful variety and beauty of seeds, or rather of the different capsules which enclose them. While some seeds are contained in globes within which is a curious arrangement of cells and valves, others are shut up in long or in short pods, others provided with wings, some are imbedded in pulp, some imprisoned within a stony covering, others enkernelled in a woody substance, and so on with a wide variety of forms. Bishop Mant, in noticing some of these varieties, says:

And haply though the flower dispense
More pleasure to the admiring sense
Of those who note the expanding bloom,
And taste its redolent perfume:

I know not if the observant mind,
At least may equal pleasure find,
The seed chest's gradual growth to mark;
As wrought in Nature's workshop dark,
By slow degrees, from day to day,
From hour to hour it works its way,
From a mere speck, a jot, a point;
Till formed each chamber, valve, and joint,
Without, within; howe'er minute
At first, the swollen and ripen'd fruit,
The cearments, which their trust inclose
In their dark caverns, open throws,
By elemental aid disjoin'd,

The solar heat, the breathing wind,
The influence of the dropping sky;
And forth the seeds are lanced to try,
When favouring chance may fix the scene,
Their fortune in this wide terrene,
And, nursed by Nature's genial cares,
Raise, like themselves, successive heirs.

for a thousand pounds, rarely come into use; but little OPPORTUNITIES of conferring large benefits, like bank-bills attentions, friendly participations and kindnesses, are wanted daily, and like small change, are necessary to carry on the business of life and happiness.-MRS. OPIE.

JOHN W. PARKER, PUBLISHER, WEST STRAND, LONDON

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HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE

ORIGIN, RISE, AND PROGRESS OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY.

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1648 TO 1726.

FRONT VIEW OF THE OLD EAST INDIA HOUSE IN LEADENHALL STREET.
[From a Painting formerly in the possession of Mr. Pulham, of the India House. 12 inches by 8.]
I.
INTRODUCTION.

HINDUSTAN has been celebrated, in ancient and modern
history, as one of the most favoured countries of the earth,
abounding in the riches of nature, and teeming with the
most costly productions of art. This remote country was
partially known to the Greeks and other nations of the
West; they imported its diamonds, its spices, silks, and
costly manufactures. A land which contributed such ex-
pensive luxuries was readily supposed to contain inexhaust-
ible wealth, and credence was easily given to the romantic
tales of its felicity and glory. In the Middle Ages, an
extensive commerce was still maintained with India, through
the ports of Egypt and the Red Sea; and the merchants of
Venice continued to uphold in Europe the idea of its exalted
civilization and immense wealth. After the discovery of a
VOL. XXV.

passage to India by the Cape of Good Hope, some of the inost powerful states of Europe contended for the possession of her commerce. The Portuguese, and then the Dutch, were the first to reap in this highly-cultivated field. England soon appeared as a formidable rival; France followed; and all these nations were permitted to erect factories on the coasts for the sole purpose of commerce. Soon, however, they were converted into military posts, bristling with cannon; and European soldiers were frequently engaged in war to defend the acquisitions of trade. În due time France and England were ranged on opposite sides in the native wars and politics. "This contest terminated in the triumph of the British arms. France lost her pre-eminence on the continent of India; and her great rival, enlarging her power on every side, gradually rose to greatness and dominion, and now rules with undisputed sway from the Himalaya Mountains to Cape Comorin. This vast extension of the British

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